Journey, Steve Miller join forces for tour

[tater1977]

Journey, Steve Miller join forces for tour

By Jane Stevenson, Toronto Sun

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

http://www.saultstar.com/2014/06/17/jou ... n-for-tour

Veteran rock bands Journey and Steve Miller Band have a lot more in common than you think.


Both acts sprang out of San Francisco’s vibrant late ’60s-early ’70s music scene so it should come as no surprise that they are touring across North America for the first time together this summer.

Their trek includes three Canadian dates, which kicks off at Toronto’s Molson Canadian Amphitheatre Thursday night with opener Tower of Power (who hail from San Fran sister city Oakland, Calif.), then they’ll work their way through Ottawa on July 4 and Quebec City on July 6.

“I think Journey, Tower of Power and the Steve Miller Band — we’re all part of a core of original groups that helped define the San Francisco music scene,” said singer-guitarist Miller, 70, in a recent interview. “This was a social phenomenon, as well as a musical phenomenon.

“These bands are an integral part of the music and art and production of a whole new approach to music.

“Once you start changing the way people attend concerts, what happens at concerts, and you’re in an unusually creative environment as San Francisco was for three decades — the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s ... I think that’s what shaped bands like Journey, and us.”

The two bands have even shared musicians. Journey bass player Ross Valory previously played with Steve Miller Band; and Journey guitarist Neal Schon previously toured with Paul Rodgers (Bad Company), opening for Miller.

And despite the popular resurgence of the 1981 Journey song Don’t Stop Believin’ — thanks in large part to TV shows like Glee and The Sopranos — the group is hardly stuck in the past.

Journey guitarist Neal Schon, 60, and keyboardist Jonathan Cain, 64, revealed they have upcoming projects.

Schon is finishing up a new solo album and wants Journey (fronted by Filipino singer Arnel Pineda since 2007 after original singer Steve Perry left in 1998) to record once they’re off the road.

The idea is to rearrange and redo unreleased older material, rework some of 2000’s Arrival release (with Perry’s first replacement singer Steve Augeri) and record new songs.

Schon had also worked with Pineda on a cover of The Police’s Synchronicity II for a benefit album.
It’s for child slavery,” he said. “Everybody is on there from Stevie Wonder to Slash to Steven Tyler; all kinds of people. And they’re picking a Police song or a Sting song to redo. Then there’s supposed to be some festival in the UK in September and all these different versions of the songs will be on an album and, hopefully, a live show that will probably be filmed for the benefit.”

Schon — who was a member of the rock band Santana before forming Journey — is also looking at a new Santana classic lineup reunion album for 2015. Nine tracks have already been recorded.

“We got together and we played for about a week and a half and came up with quite a bit of new material.

“It was just kind of like off-the-cuff; it came (out of) nowhere ... some of it were ideas that Carlos Santana (Santana’s frontman) had; some I pulled in; some (organist) Gregg (Rolie) pulled in; and then we just worked off each other like we did in the old days.

“It was pretty much just the chemistry of the band, you know. You get us together in a room and it sounds that way ... there were sparks flying immediately.”

Meanwhile, Miller (who admitted to having a 450-guitar collection) re-recorded his classic 1973 album The Joker, which will be strictly for sale at shows, in honour of its 40th anniversary.

Miller said he was touched to hear the first song from KISS guitarist Ace Frehley’s new solo album would be The Joker.

“I was flattered, and laughed out loud when I heard it,” he said.

“KISS is an institution, as we all know, and I remember the first KISS show I ever went to was in Seattle. I saw these guys play and I was amazed at what they had achieved and accomplished in their showmanship and their production.

“And so, when anybody does a cover of my song, I’m always very curious; I’m always happy that someone has actually listened to a song that I’ve written, another performer, another artist. So, I was really pleased and happy about it. It was great...

“There aren’t that many people who cover my music. It’s kind of hard to cover. Everybody always has their own spin. The only guy who didn’t (have his own spin on it), I think, was Seal who needed it on Fly Like an Eagle and it just sounded like a bad version of Fly Like an Eagle.”

[The_Noble_Cause]

Thanks for posting. Alot of the "Arrival" material is so strong (ex. Higher Place, To Be Alive Again, World Gone Wild) that it does deserve a second shot at mass appeal. And in fairness, "Revelation" had two songs from "Generations." Still, the whole idea seems a little sad, a little desperate, and further confirms alot of criticisms that the chemistry just ain't there. But, hey, if the band writes 4 or 5 new tunes out of it, I can't complain.

Also, anyone find it odd that the reporter states "Journey fronted by Filipino singer Arnel Pineda since 2007 after original singer Steve Perry left in 1998..." and then later states "... 2000’s Arrival release with Perry’s first replacement singer Steve Augeri." Just so everyone is perfectly clear, Arnel Pineda replaced Steve Perry who left in 1998 and not Steve Augeri or Jeff Scott Soto.

[AR]

Miller said he was touched to hear the first song from KISS guitarist Ace Frehley’s new solo album would be The Joker.

“I was flattered, and laughed out loud when I heard it,” he said.

“KISS is an institution, as we all know, and I remember the first KISS show I ever went to was in Seattle. I saw these guys play and I was amazed at what they had achieved and accomplished in their showmanship and their production.

“And so, when anybody does a cover of my song, I’m always very curious; I’m always happy that someone has actually listened to a song that I’ve written, another performer, another artist. So, I was really pleased and happy about it. It was great...

“There aren’t that many people who cover my music. It’s kind of hard to cover. Everybody always has their own spin. The only guy who didn’t (have his own spin on it), I think, was Seal who needed it on Fly Like an Eagle and it just sounded like a bad version of Fly Like an Eagle.”

Pretty cool to know Steve Miller has heard Ace's cover already.

[FamilyMan]

Not happy with the idea of reworking Arrival. It's disrespectful to Augeri. Move forward ... get the creative juices flowing again ... hire other producers & songwriters if you have to. But let the Augeri era stand on its own.